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A Mid-Year's Walking Trip by GamgeeFest	7 Review(s)
Elf Friend	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 3/1/2005
That ending was so cute. I love the hobbits. squeaks And what is Sam doing, I wonder? Author Reply: Thank you! I don't think I could go a day without my hobbits.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/26/2005
"The sun was beginning to wan when they reached Overhill and the hour was approaching dinnertime by the rumblings of their stomachs. The temperature dropped suddenly when they reached the foot of the hills and a sudden gust of wind swept through the valley, cooling the weary travelers and bringing refreshment with its welcoming chill." I loved that bit of detailed description, it's the kind of lovely detail you would sometimes find from JRRT himself. So vivid, you can see and feel the place. I like the way you showed how Sam was kept at the barn, and the rest of the party sent to the house. It goes to show just how hard it is going to be for Merry to pursue the friendship in the face of all expectations. Sam, of course, probably expected nothing else. He knew how it would go. I love the account of the trouble Merry and Pippin got into the last time they were there, though it was not their fault. Taking the blame to keep Ivy out of trouble is just the kind of thing they would have done, and with their reputations as trouble-makers, Folco's parents never thought to look elsewhere. The ride home was lovely. The part with Pippin naming the stars, seemingly at random, was so very "Pippish". I loved it. I liked Merry's semi-superstitious fear that had him tap on the door to check on Frodo. I loved the difficulty in waking Pippin to get him into the bath, and the automatic assumption that Pippin+bath=need for a mop, LOL! And Sam, making his to-do list, very nice. But this was my favorite part: "Merry was the next to succumb to sleep, and Frodo watched them both as they dozed, until his head started to droop as well. He, however, was not going to sleep on a chair when his bed was just across the hall. He found blankets and covered his cousins tightly, then kissed them on the tops of their curly heads. He blew out all but one of the candles and soundlessly made his way to his room. He climbed into his pleasantly soft bed and had just enough energy to snuff out the last candle before falling into deep slumber." That picture of Frodo, sitting in the darkened smial, watching over his cousins till they slept, and then tucking them in so sweetly with a kiss before he went to his own bed...just...awww...sigh so lovely! You really know how to get to me! Author Reply: That's precisely why I put those little paragraphs in, to try to get it as close to Tolkien as I can. Glad you liked it. Merry does have a better understanding now of just how careful he's going to have to be with Sam. It's one thing to be out in the woods with no one around and say that propriety doesn't matter. It's another to say it when you're inside eating on find plates and Sam's out in the barn. Merry got the message loud and clear. It just lends more weight to what Sam had said earlier, about things just being the way they are. And Sam learned a little something about Merry from that story of Hal's, and it's that Merry looks out for more than just Frodo and Pippin. That will go a long way to helping Sam relax a little more around Merry. I just couldn't end this story without Pippin saying something about the stars. He still doesn't know if there are different types of stars, but he decided to name them anyway. Merry's been checking on Frodo for years, and that certainly hasn't changed as they've gotten older, even so far apart from each other. He's also seen the results of Pippin's bath more times than he can count, lol. If Frodo had more than one mop about the smial, Merry would have hunted those down as well! Ah yes, Sam's to-do list. He has a lot to do in just half a day. ;) Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed Frodo tucking in his cousins. Frodo can't help but feel parental towards them every now and then. Thanks for reading!

Larner	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/26/2005
Glad my information was appreciated. Excellently written, as always. Love the teasing. Author Reply: Thanks again for the information. It was inspirational. It's always fun to have Sam teasing with the gentry, even if they don't happen to know it at the time. :) Thanks for reading!

EllyBaggins	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/26/2005
i've really enjoyed this story, can't believe it's almost finished! will pippin ever tell the others about the whistling he heard? and i love the way this story explores the difference between sam and the cousins. Author Reply: Hello EllyBaggins! How wonderful to hear from you. :) Pippin's going to keep the whistling to himself. He knows if he tells, he'll just be teased, by Merry at least, for believing in ghosts and for letting his imagination get the better of him and being afraid of the outdoors. Bindbale Wood turned out to be a fitting metaphor for the relationship strains between Merry and Sam, and the amount of work it will take to reforge that friendship. Thanks so much for reading, and I'm glad you've enjoyed the story. :)

Grey Wonderer	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/26/2005
Poor Sam with all of that work to do after their long trip while the others are resting up. I loved that Merry was taken by surprise by Sam's joke about the wasp stings and Pippin's names for the stars were just great. I love cookie dough. That must be a lovely star. LOL Author Reply: Sam never gets to rest, especially since his father and sister were also gone. He's going to have a lot to do in the morning. ;) Sam has a rather dry sense of humor and that can easily be confused for seriousness by those not familiar with it. Merry has a lot to learn about Sam and this won't be the last time the gardener will be surprising him. :D Elvish names for stars are a bit too grand for Pippin. He prefers more earthy, familiar names. Cookie Dough is indeed a wonderful constellation. It's actually the remnants of a super nova, lol. Thanks for reading. Glad you've enjoyed the story.

Hai Took	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/26/2005
Well too bad that Hal thought Frodo, Merry and Pippin should be sent back up to the big smial. I hope Sam doesn't get into trouble or feel confused as to what is "proper" where the others are concerned. I loved Pippin naming the stars as they rode back up the hill. And this line tickled me "Pippin continued with his list undaunted, naming the stars so randomly that Frodo was certain he named a few of them two or three times over." So very hobbity. The little bit about Merry have that habit about tapping on the door when he passed. It fit well, especially considering the way Frodo's parents died and all. What kind of list is Sam making? I hope he doesn't end up in trouble or doesn't feel too many things have been neglected since he left. Looking forward to more, though I didn' notice you said "to be concluded" does that mean there is only one chapter left? Author Reply: No worries about Sam getting into trouble. Remember, they were never there. ;) And Sam would never be confused about what's proper. He knew the others wouldn't mind eating in the barn, but he had temporarily forgotten that Hal might take offense to it. He won't be making that mistake again. So very hobbity and so very Pippin-y. Pippin would never stop to keep track of what stars already had names and which ones didn't. It didn't much matter to him, it was just a fun way to pass the time and entertain his friends. Merry spent much of his youth worrying about Frodo, or being around grown up who were worrying about Frodo. He was often sent to check on Frodo when his parents knew it would annoy him to have anyone else check on him. Merry's had a lot of practice taking care of his Frodo. It was another reason that it hurt so much for Frodo to leave and be taken care of by someone else. You'll find out next chapter what Sam is up to. ;) And yes, that is going to be the last chapter. The walking trip has ended, and so too must this fic. Thanks for reading!

Bodkin	Reviewed Chapter: 13 on 2/26/2005
The old 'Sam eats in the barn with the workers; the cousins eat in the house of the best plates' business should really reinforce to Merry how careful he has to be in his friendship with Sam. He has to give Sam the space and time to make some of the moves - or else it's just another kind of employment. I wonder how Sam's brothers coped when little Sammy suddenly became the Master of Bag End and the heir to the Baggins millions. Did he become gentry to them - or was he still their little brother? I disregard foreign titles and honours and the love of kings and princes. Sam would never have told them about that. He's got some cunning plan in mind, though. I can't wait to find out what he is up to. Author Reply: Merry got the message. He did keep Pippin from running out to the barn after all. He's ready for the long haul and knows he's going to have to take it slow and give Sam the time he needs. That's an interesting thought. I never stopped to wonder how Sam's family took that news. I've thought about what his Gaffer might say about it, but I think Gaffer would have seen it coming as soon as Sam moved into Bag End. It would be interesting to see how his brothers and sisters would react to the news. You'll find out soon enough what Sam has up his sleeves. ;) Thanks so much for reading!

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